Four-way channel support



Aug. 1958 J. J. SULLIVAN FOUR-WAY CHANNEL SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMay 18, 1955 Filed May 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR United StatesPatent FOUR-WAY CHANNEL SUPPORT John J. Sullivan, Cleveland, OhioApplication May 18, 1953, Serial No. 355,451

Claims. (Cl. 248-62) units to which brackets or clamps may be easily andsimply secured.

A still further object of my invention is to provide hangers andsupports of the type referred to which will be economical tomanufacture, being composed of few parts.

The support of my invention is further a four-way support adapted tosupport elements on 'any of its four sides.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will become morereadily apparent by reference to the drawings as described further inthe specification appended hereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the support or hanger of my invention, a bracket beingclamped to the same at one end;

Fig. 2 is a front view showing a pair of the improved supports orhangers of my invention suspended from hanger rods and showing differentsize pipes supported upon the upper face of one of said hangers orsupports;

Fig. 3 is a view of a strap device associated with the four-way supportelement of my invention, the element being both partially shown.

Referring now to the drawings more particularly, in all of which likeparts are designated by like reference characters, in Fig. 1 at 10 Ishow a four-way channel support member, said channel member beingcomposed of four generally triangular members 11, 12, 13 and 14,preferably formed of steel, metal or like material. The apex of each ofsaid members 11, 12, 13, 14 is preferably rounded as shown at a and thebase of each is provided with an elongated opening or guideway 15.

The said triangular elements are nested together with the apices facingeach other as shown in Fig. 1 and the side edges of each element beingintegrally secured with an opposite side edge of another element as bywelding, soldering etc. as shown at w. A generally square incross-section member with a generally elongated wide slot 15 disposed oneach longitudinally extending face is therefore provided, which isadapted to be used as a support for pipes, conduits, etc. The slots 15extend longitudinally from one end of each of the said bases of thegenerally triangular elements to the opposite end thereof for a purposelater described herein.

A substantially C-shaped clamp member preferably made of steel, metal orlike material, is provided, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with a substantially flat upper and lowersurface, 31 and 32 respectively, which su-rfaces are provided with anaperture 31' and 32 respectively. A pair of tapered side surfaces 33, 34and 33" and 34' are inclined outwardly from said upper and lowersurfaces 31 and 32 and a flat lateral surface35- conmeets the surfaces33 and 33 and a substantially flat relatively short lateral surface 36terminating in a ledge'por tion 36a disposed at right angles thereto isdisposed-at an oblique angle to the tapered'side 34.

In a similar fashion a substantially flat relatively shor lateralsurface 37 terminating in a ledge portion 37a disposed at right anglesthereto is disposed at an oblique angle to the tapered side 34. The twoledge portions 36a and 37a are disposed therefor in substantially spacedparallel relation to each other, and areprovided with aligned apertures36b and 37b through which a screw threaded bolt is threaded to clamp thesame about the four-way support member. Secured as by welding or thelikeindicated at 'x to the tapered sides 33, 34 is an elongatedsubstantially rectangular plate 40 having up'- standing inwardlyextending tapered flanges 41 and-"42 and said plate 40 is provided witha circular aperture 44. I An identically formed plate 50 havingupstanding'im wardly extending tapered flanges 51 and 52 and providedwith a circular aperture-54 is secured as by welding, etc. to thetapered sides 33' and 34'. Thus, the four-way element, when the clamp,having the plates 40 and'50 integrally secured thereto, is fastenedthereon by hanger rods 60' (the ends of said hanger rodsbeing-screw-thread ed within the upper surface 31 of the clamp and, ifdesired, through the aperture 44 aligned with said aperture 31 andthrough the slot- 15 in the upper face of the fourway element) aifords-a deep U-recess to receive the hanger rod threadingl-y disposed thereinto accomplish' a wide range of adjustment for the support member. Also,a hanger rod 61 may be similarly screw-threaded through openings 32, 54and slot 15 in the member 50 for the suspension of a lower run four-waysupport.

The C-shaped clamp member 30 described herein is thus adapted for use asa hanger rod connection to afford a suspension at either end for a pairof four-way elements or a multiple thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 2,wherein one four-way element is spaced in parallel relation with anothersaid element.

As further illustrated in said Figure 2, pipes p are secured to thesupports 10 by means of straps 70 which are of different dimensions toclamp cable, tubing, pipes, etc. of different diameters, as shown. Thestrap elements 70 are preferably formed of a pair of bowed strap memberspreferably of metal, steel, etc. and said pairs are bolted together asby a screw threaded bolt and nut 71 and 72 respectively. Each bowedmember is further provided with a notched recess on either side of itslower end portion adapted to receive adjacently disposed inwardlyextending elongated flat base portions 15a and 15b of the uppermost baseof the four-way element.

As described herein and as shown, the pipes, conduits, etc. aresupported upon the upper face of the so-called four-way element. It willbe obvious that pipes may be carried on any or all of the faces of saidelement, however, and that the support is not essentially a pipe supportbut might be employed in various ways, as for example, as a brace, avertical run, a horizontal run, a ceiling run etc.

Therefore, although I have described my invention in connection with apreferred embodiment thereof, it will be obvious that numerous andextensive departures may be made therefrom, as in dimensions, uses,etc., without however departing from the spirit of my invention or thescope of the appended claims.

- secured. toa side of a different support element, the

apices of each element being directed to a common center, an outer sideof each of said, support elements being provided with an elongated slotfrom enddo-end, whereby said outer side is provided with. a pair ofoppositely of substantially triangular form a pair of sides of each ofsaid support elements intersecting to form an apex, each side of saidpair of sides being integrally secured to a side of a different supportelement with the apices of each element being directed to a commoncenter to form a four-way support whereby each of the four elements isreinforced by the other .three elements, a third side of 1 each saidtriangular element being provided with an elondisposed elongatedsubstantially flat portions disposed in r spaced parallel relation toeachother, said portionsforming a base for the disposition ofsupportable units thereon. r

, 2. Support means of the-type described comprising a plurality ofelongated support elementsjidentically formed and substantiallytriangular in cross section a pair of sides of each of said supportelements intersecting to form an apex, each side of said pair of sidesbeing integrally secured to a side of a diiferent support element, theapices of each element being directed to a common center, an outer sideof each of said support elements being provided medially with anelongated slot from end-to-end whereby said side is provided with apairof elongated portions disposed in spaced parallel. relation to eachother, clamp means engaged with the said outer side of at least one ofsaid elongated support elements and adapt ed to be associated withsupportable units.

3. Support means of the type claimed in claim 2 having a clamp memberclamped thereto, an opening in said clamp disposed in alignment withoneof said elongated slots, hanger means seated in said opening in the saidclamp member and said slot whereby said support is rigidly secured tosaid hanger means.

4. Support means of the type described comprising four elongated supportelements, said elements each being gated slot, supportable elementsmounted across a slot of one of said triangular elements, clamp meansassociated with said slot to securely mount said supportable elementsthereon.

5. Support means of the type claimed in claim 4 having a generallyC-shaped bracket member securely clamped about one end of said four-waysupport and being apertured at the uppermost and lowermost portionsthereof, hanger rods projecting through said apertures in said clamp andsecured therein, a pair of apertured plate means being disposed adjacentthe uppermost and the lowermost portion of said bracket and integrallysecured thereto, each one of said apertures of said plate means beingdisposed in alignment with one of said apertures of said clamps and oneof said slots in a third side of one of said elements wherefor a hangerrod may be threaded through both of said apertures and said'slot topermit adjustment thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,141,067 Lloyd Mar. 25, 1915 1,930,285 Robinson Oct. 10, 1933 2,375,513Bach May 8, 1945 2,516,020 Reed July 18, 1950 2,535,427 Kindorf Dec. 26,1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 993,826 France of 1951

